Forest Hills High School Wrestling Pinned By Cardozo, 69-18

The undefeated Forest Hills High School wrestling team was forced to endure a tough loss at the hands of Benjamin Cardozzo High School last night, 69-18.

It was a bitter pill for head coach Stephen Serio, who had grown accustomed to seeing his team conquer every challenge they faced this season.

The loss broke a stalemate at the top of the division, with 5-0 Cardozo remaining undefeated and the 4-1 Rangers settling into a tie for second place in the division.

All-in-all it was a tough day for Forest Hills, who had to grapple with one of the top public high school wrestling teams in the city.

Hero: The entire Cardozo roster wrestled well, with the team clearly taking advantage of the Rangers from top to bottom. The wrestler who earned the most cheers from his teammates, however, had to be Anand Komal and the 215-pound class. Komal went into the match with victory for his team already assured, and fought off a talented Roy Escobar from Forest Hills through three rounds. Escaping pin after pin, Komal finally turned the tables on an exhausted Escobar with just seconds remaining in his match and earned a pin that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

Turning Point: After facing two-early forfeits, the Rangers were in an ugly 18-0 hole before Julio Soriano took home the Rangers first 6 points.  Once they fell behind 24-6, the match seemed all but over, and Forest Hills suffered a string of demoralizing defeats.

Quotable: "They're a very tough team, and those kids were ready from the get-go, it was very clear," Serio said after the match. "It's just going to take a lot more hard work from here to move on for the rest of the season."

Bottom Line: Forest Hills is a talented team stocked with top-flight athletes, but Cardozo looked to be in a class by themselves in the division. Serio said he and his team have got their eye on second place in the division after the loss, but there is still a long way to go.

Who's Next? Forest Hills will take on Jane Addams High at home on Friday, Dec. 17 at 5 p.m.

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